Muscat: A panel of experts commissioned by the European Union (EU) has recommended imposing restrictions on social media use for children up to the age of 13 across all member states, in the latest warning over the platforms' risks to young users. The experts said children should not have access to social media without parental supervision or educational safeguards, and advised that children under two should have no exposure to social media at all.

According to Oman News Agency, several EU countries, including Spain, Germany, Greece, and Austria, have already announced plans to introduce legal bans on social media use for children up to a certain age, pointing to the need for EU-wide measures to enforce age limits. Under the Digital Services Act, major platforms are required to protect minors online, and many already enforce a minimum age of 13 in line with EU data protection rules.

The experts stressed the need for more comprehensive enforcement of existing rules, as governments debate how best to protect children and teenagers from social media risks, following Australia's decision in late 2025 to ban social media for under-16s.